cycling keto diet and training

[mr.e01]

I have been doing the ckd diet for offseason for the last 5 months with great success- I stay lean with a lot of cals and no cardio- I have lately been eating a more balanced nutrition plan and my training has gotten better, but I have gained a lot more unnnecessary weight with the extra carbs- even with the same cals - would it be wise to stick with a leaner offseason and the ckd diet with the lesser intense training or will this hinder my muscle gains in the long run- I plan to compete at least once a year and I felt staying leaner is better but my training is suffering slightly-please advise if possible on any ideas to help with my training while on the ckd diet

 

[Heavy_Lifter]

I tried a ckd trial run for a period of a few months. It is a terrible way to gain mass, but obviously great for cutting down. I learned that the workouts had to be fast and intense, since you don't have the carbs to sustain a long workout. Using medium-chain triglycerides (mct's, basically e-nova oil or coconut oil) before the workout helps significantly. I used simple carbs after the workout only. The carbo load every 1-2 weeks seemed to be the make-or-break aspect of the diet. I would complete a total body workout to absolute fatigue prior to taking in large amounts of CLEAN carbohydrates. Coming off the ckd, I put on some weight as daily carbs where introduced; since I only tried the diet once, I never refined this point.

**broken link removed** is a good web resource for anyone interested in the ckd.

 

[mr.e01]

thanks for the site and info Heavy lifter- I personally do not like to put the extra weight on- I tried to modify the diet in a way to still incorporate the no carb days and high carb days to stay lean and gain and train good- since it is my offseason and i am looking to gain muscle slowly without gaining a lot of fat I will be using two no carb days followed by one carb up day- it should be easier b/c one carb day usually could hold me over for training for 2 days- I will see how it goes- as far as doing the full ckd diet- Ill keep that for the hardcore precontest part of my diet- i cant train like that at optimum levels, but with the 2 low/ 1 high cycle I can maintain my energy levels and still stay lean and train well- Ill see how it works out, but thanks for the insight and site- carbs just seem to make me fat or more hungry- i just am very carb sensitive

 

[xcelbeyond]

Nutrition certainly is an "individual" thing - body type (Ecto, Endo, Meso), activity level, age, etc...

I'm like you and seem to gain fat too easy. But this has happened more as I got older - esp after ~45 YO. My preference after doing this for years, is to try and stay lean year round. MUCH EASIER SAID than done. You can still make gains while staying lean (I've done it), they just don't come near as fast. BUT - if you "just gain weight" (not care about the BF), you lose much of that new muscle when you try and cut up! At least I do

 

[mr.e01]

yes xcel you are very right and I have to come to terms with this as well- I love to eat carbs in the offseason like anyone else but all they do is give me more cravings and put that extra weight on me which is not what I want anymore- It is VERY tough to stay leaner in the offseason, not b/c of the lack of cheat food(I do indulge once in a while), but because of the carb depletion over 2 days which is really not that bad, but i still miss the hardcore training I used to have with constant carbs and the much less stressed diet as well, but what I put on is much easier to keep when I diet down like you mentioned and i look a lot better year round- I will still carb up to every 2 days but I still have to eat clean carbs and clean proteins low fats on this day- and I dont overdo it whatsoever either- its a much healthier approach, and like I said with me its either no carbs or a lot of carbs- there is no in between because some carbs will just lead me to crave for more and binge, especially in the offseason-its just a part of life that i need to accept and work with as a bodybuilder-